June 28, 2012

Book Review: Liberty Lee's Tail of Independence

I was asked to be a part of a TLC book tour to review the book Liberty Lee's Tail of Independence. It is a rhyming version of American's struggle for independence, with special emphasis placed on the writing of the Declaration of Independence. The book is told from the point of view of Liberty Lee--Thomas Jefferson's mouse friend. I read it with my kiddos and they loved it.

Pros: 1) My kids loved looking for Liberty Lee (the mouse) on each spread. They all giggled at the page about the Boston Tea Party because Liberty Lee is dressed up like an Indian. The mouse angle is very engaging and fun.

2) The text covers the Revolution from the the first settlements of America to a post-war independence celebration, hitting all the main points like the writing of the Declaration, the Boston Tea Party, taxation without representation, and the actual war itself. This could be a really good starting place to give an overview of the time period before looking at each specific event more closely.

3) The text includes a non-fiction blurb at the end of the book about each event. I liked that.

Cons: I only had one thing that niggled at me as I read--this book has a pretty heavy-handed bias to it (anti-British, pro-America). I've always tried to give my kids the sense that both sides had valid arguments to make over the taxation issue, and after years of working at it my son has finally figured out that during an altercation, both parties think they are right.

However, I didn't bother to disrupt my kids' enjoyment of the story with all of that. Instead, we read it for what it was--a really fun, entertaining, and catchy way to tell the story of the American Revolution. Since we get to keep the book (yay!), we'll read it numerous times and I'll use those readings to remind my kids that there are two sides to every story and as a jumping off place when we get around to American history again.

Thanks TLC tours for letting me review the book!

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. I was not compensated in any other way.

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Hello! I am a stay-at-home, homeschooling mom of eight children (ages 13, 11, 10, 7, 5, 3, 1, and 8 months). In my previous existence I taught school--primarily history and English, but also ESL, and, during one bizarre year, math. I started teaching in a middle school where I discovered the hilarity of seventh graders and then later I moved to a high school and taught tenth and eleventh graders. I eventually switched again to the Education Department at Weber State University where I taught several ESL courses and a social studies methods course for elementary teachers. Writing curriculum is one of my passions. Sharing good books is another. Homeschooling--with all the frustration, fulfillment, frolic, and farce that it engenders--is another.